1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cage assembling apparatus for installing rolling elements in an angular-type or crown-type cage which holds the rolling elements, which does not use the outer race and the inner race of a rolling bearing as holding and constitutional members and which independently holds the rolling elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ball bearing, which is a roll bearing, has a structure that a plurality of balls, which are rolling elements, are inserted between the outer race and an inner race so that the load of a shaft is supported by rolling contact. At this time, the plural balls are held in a cage to prevent contact among the plural balls and separation of the ball from the space between the outer race and the inner race. The cage is made of flexible synthetic resin or the like and provided with a plurality of annular pockets arranged to hold the balls such that rolling of the balls is permitted and formed in the circumferential direction of the cage.
The balls have been installed in the cage by simultaneously installing the balls or by sequentially installing the balls. That is, when the plural balls are simultaneously installed, the balls which must be installed are distributed to corresponding pockets of the cage. Then, all of the balls or a plurality of the balls are simultaneously installed or a plurality of installing operations are performed. When the balls are sequentially installed, the position of the pocket is detected. Then, the ball is installed in the detected pocket. The foregoing operation is sequentially repeated so that the balls are installed in all of the pockets of the cage.
However, when a plurality of the balls are simultaneously installed in the cage, at least two operating units are required which include a motor for operating a ball distributing mechanism or a substitutional operating unit and a ball introducing cylinder or a substitutional actuator. Since the ball distributing mechanism and the introducing mechanism are independently required, the apparatus becomes too complicated and size reduction is not permitted. Therefore, there arises a problem in that the cost of the apparatus cannot be reduced. Since a plurality of the balls are installed, the cage must bear great elastic deformation. Thus, there is apprehension that damage of the cage occurs.
When the balls are sequentially installed, a motor for a mechanism (an index table) for indexing the position of the pocket, a motor for rotation and a cylinder or an actuator for performing the installing operation are required. Similarly to the foregoing case, at least two operating units are required. Therefore, there arises a problem in that the apparatus becomes too complicated and the cost of the apparatus cannot be reduced. In the foregoing case, a cycling operation including rotation, stoppage and installation must be performed by the number corresponding to the number of the balls. Therefore, there arises a problem in that long time is required to complete the installing operation.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a cage assembling apparatus which is capable of successively installing a plurality of rolling elements in cages and simplifying the structure of the apparatus and shortening time required to complete an installing operation.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to the present invention, there is provided a cage assembling apparatus for installing rolling elements in a plurality of pockets which have flexibility, which are arranged to hold rolling elements such that rolling of the rolling elements is permitted and which are provided for an annular cage in a circumferential direction of the cage. The cage assembling apparatus comprises: a base member for supporting the cage; and a rolling-element distributing column disposed concentrically to the cage supported by the base member and permitted to relatively rotate with respect to the base member. An opening of a rolling-member supply passage in which a plurality of the rolling elements are loaded in a line is formed at an end of the rolling-element distributing column opposite to the cage, and a pressing surface is formed which forcibly introduces the rolling elements supplied through the opening into the pockets by using relative rotation between the base member and the rolling-element distributing column.
In the cage assembling apparatus, the base member or the rolling-element distributing column is rotated so that the rolling element supplied from the rolling-element supply passage is pressed against the pressing surface so as to be forcibly introduced into the pocket of the cage. Since the rotating operation is performed, the plural rolling elements are sequentially installed in all of the pockets. As a result, distribution of the rolling elements to the plural pockets and installation of the rolling element in each pocket which have individually been performed can simultaneously be performed by only rotating the base member or the rolling-element distributing column. As a result, the operation can be completed by only one motor. Moreover, the assembling cycle including the step of distributing the rolling elements and that of forcibly introducing the same can considerably be shortened.
In the cage assembling apparatus, the pressing surface may be constituted by an axial-directional pressing surface for pressing the rolling elements in a direction of the axis of the rolling-element distributing column to forcibly introduce the rolling elements into the pocket and/or a radial-directional pressing surface for pressing the rolling elements in the radial direction of the rolling-element distributing column to forcibly introduce the rolling elements into the pocket.
The foregoing cage assembling apparatus permits a direction in which the rolling element is forcibly introduced into the pocket to be an axial direction of the rolling-element distributing column, the radial direction of the rolling-element distributing column or a direction inclined from the axial direction. The reason for this lies in that the axial-directional pressing surface and/or the radial-directional pressing surface is selected so as to be used. Thus, the forcible introduction of the rolling element can be performed in any one of the foregoing directions.
In the cage assembling apparatus, the radial-directional pressing surface may be a pressing surface which outwards presses the rolling element in the radial direction of the rolling-element distributing column.
The foregoing cage assembling apparatus has the structure that the rolling element supplied to the inside portion of the annular cage is outwards pressed in the radial direction by the pressing surface of the rolling-element distributing column so as to forcibly be introduced from the inside portion of the cage into the pocket.
In the cage assembling apparatus, the radial-directional pressing surface may be a pressing surface which inwards pressing the rolling element in the radial direction of the rolling-element distributing column.
The foregoing cage assembling apparatus is structured such that the rolling element supplied to the outside of the annular cage is inwards pressed in the radial direction by the pressing surface of the rolling-element distributing column so as to forcibly be introduced from the outside portion of the cage into the pocket.